DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
ANNUAL REPORT
North America
Our Mission
To foster an environment where individuals of diverse
race, color, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation,
gender identity and expression, religion, nationality,
age, disability, and marital and parental status may
succeed professionally and fully contribute to the goals
of the Firm.
Our Commitment
We understand that organizations work best when
people with different backgrounds and multiple points
of view are brought together. Our own diversity mirrors
our commitment to exploring multiple perspectives
to develop the best possible solutions for our clients
and to fostering a culture of respect and inclusion.
Diversity:
Our Competitive
Vicki Kelley
Global Director of Talent Management
Advantage
Baker & McKenzie’s belief in the virtue and value of diversity and inclusion is rooted in
our DNA. Since our founding in 1949, the variegated personality of this firm has been
delivering tangible value to our clients in the form of kaleidoscopic insight, intellectual
agility and professional prowess.
Phil Suse
North America Managing Partner
The competitive advantage that our clients gain through our counsel finds its measure in our growth. Our stature as a
diversity leader of the legal profession has attracted upwards of 4,000 of the world’s most competent lawyers and lawrelated professionals. The people of Baker & McKenzie are citizens of more than 60 nations, speak as many languages
and exhibit virtually infinite combinations of genius, manner and habit.
As you will see in this report, we are active participants in a variety of organizations devoted to advancing appreciation for
and the appearance of diversity in the workplace and in society. And perhaps most meaningful of all, our clients speak
firsthand in these pages about the competitive advantage that the character and composition of the Baker & McKenzie
organization make in the advancement of their legal interests.
We commend this inaugural diversity and inclusion report for your consideration and invite you to learn more at
www.bakermckenzie.com or by contacting us directly.
Raymundo Enriquez
Global Diversity and Inclusion
Committee Chair
Diversity and Inclusion Report 2
Our Diversity, Their Benefit
Meeting
Starbucks' Diversity
Standards
Starbucks General Counsel Paula Boggs believes that any law firm representing her employer should live up to the
values of diversity and inclusion that have helped to elevate the company’s stature as a corporate citizen to heights
comparable to the global reach of the Starbucks name.
The world’s premier roaster and retailer of specialty
coffee, with 17,000 stores in 55 nations, has found such
a law firm in Baker & McKenzie. In recognition of their
shared values, this client honored Baker & McKenzie
with the presentation of the Starbucks Excellence in
Diversity Award.
“Initially, this seemed to be a challenge, as the majority
of our work for Starbucks is done in several different
jurisdictions outside the United States,” Dieter said.
“As it turned out, however, our Starbucks team is as
diverse as the rest of Baker & McKenzie.”
“Starbucks has been a partner to our global organization
for nearly 20 years,” said Dieter Schmitz, who heads the
Firm’s Starbucks team. “The Excellence in Diversity
Award is a landmark in our relationship, not only because
of the sheer distinction of receiving the award but
because this aspect of the relationship came into focus
by serendipity.”
The inherent diversity of the Firm’s global organization
struck a chord with Starbucks. Ms. Boggs presented the
Excellence in Diversity Award before a meeting of the
Starbucks Law and Corporate Affairs department.
Representing the Firm were Dieter and his Chicago
colleagues Phil Suse, Nam Paik, Lisa Gates and Ed
Harrison, along with Floyd Mills, Director of Diversity for
the North America region.
Starbucks asked Baker & McKenzie several years ago to
describe the Firm’s diversity and inclusion efforts and the
demographics of the team providing services to
Starbucks.
3 Diversity and Inclusion Report
Striking a chord with Starbucks
The Starbucks approach to grading outside legal
counsel has evolved to include a formal annual survey
of efforts to promote and practice diversity in
employment. A committee within the Starbucks legal
department reviews the survey responses and selects
one firm to receive its Excellence in Diversity Award.
Baker & McKenzie received the 2009 award, which
included recognition of multiple programs to embrace
clients, employees and recruits of all races, ethnicities,
genders and sexual orientations.
Baker & McKenzie has collaborated with Starbucks
lawyers on a pro bono project for the Public Interest
Law & Policy Group (PILPG), an international public
interest law firm and a Nobel Peace Prize nominee.
Baker & McKenzie has also engaged Starbucks lawyers
in support of LINK Unlimited, Chicago’s oldest
scholarship and mentoring organization serving
economically disadvantaged African American youth.
“Our relationship with Starbucks is an excellent example of how law firms and the clients
they serve can advance diversity and inclusion within the legal profession,” said Dieter.
”Our clients are an important element of our diversity and inclusion programs, and we
thank them for their passion and commitment.”
“At Starbucks, diversity is core
to who we are — from our
partners (employees), to our
customers, to the communities
we serve. That’s why we want to
work with organizations, such as
Baker & McKenzie, who share this
commitment. We applaud this
remarkable firm for its leadership
in demonstrating the importance
diversity plays in ensuring their
clients the best legal representation
possible.”
Paula Boggs,
EVP and General Counsel
for Starbucks Coffee Company
from l to r:
Dieter Schmitz,
Phil Suse,
Lisa Gates,
Floyd Mills,
Ed Harrison,
Nam Paik and
Paula Boggs
at Starbucks
Headquarters
during the
presentation of
the Starbucks
Excellence in
Diversity Award
Our Diversity, Their Benefit 4
Two leading brands share how openness to different
cultures and perspectives impacts their global business —
and influences their choice of legal advisers
McDonald’s: Leading by Example
“McDonald’s does business in over a hundred countries. Because
we have a very global company, we have a very diverse group of
leaders. They want to be able to open up to their lawyers and
trust that their lawyers understand them culturally. We look for
all those factors when we look for counsel.
Gloria Santona
Executive Vice President, General Counsel
and Secretary, McDonald's Corporation
5 Diversity and Inclusion Report
“We really believe in leading by example. As we put teams
together that are working on our matters, we look around
and see who’s on the team, and if it looks to us that we
aren’t getting a broad enough range of thoughts and a
broad enough range of perspectives, we might ask to have
some more perspectives brought to the table …
“Because you’re looking for that diversity of thought and the
contributions that they can make. Everybody’s going to
come at things a little differently. So we think that the end
result will be much stronger when we see a diverse group
of individuals at the table.”
Kraft: Diverse Consumers, Diverse Advisers
“We want firms that can operate at multiple speeds with multiple
perspectives whatever the issue because Kraft is a global
company. We have about 140,000 people around the world in
over a hundred countries, and we have millions and millions of
consumers around the world.
Marc Firestone
Executive Vice President, Corporate & Legal Affairs
and General Counsel, Kraft Foods Inc.
President and Board Chairman, Institute for
Inclusion in the Legal Profession
"Consequently, our business depends on our ability to
serve a very diverse population. The more diverse the law
firm, the better their lawyers can understand our issues
and the better they can work with us.
"Kraft has a document that details our outside counsel
guidelines, because we believe in being very open and
transparent.
"We say this is what we expect of our law firms, and frankly
we try to be balanced and indicate what our law firms can
expect of Kraft.
"Our guidelines make it very clear that we expect our firms
to take very specific actions to support diversity. We ask for
indications of what they do and how they staff our matters. If
firms do not cooperate in that respect, we will likely look for
other firms with which to work.
"In these ways, diversity bears heavily on our working
relationship with law firms but there's a broader aspect at
play. I believe that all lawyers share an interest in a diverse
and inclusive legal profession. It's more than about business;
it's about social justice and our role, as lawyers, in society."
Our Diversity, Their Benefit 6
Diversity as Leadership Strategy
One Hundred
Percent
Credit Recovery
Our team delivers diverse perspectives and capabilities needed to reach a global settlement agreement in our client’s favor
Bringing together not only the best legal minds but the right
combination of skills and perspectives makes the difference
in the way our Firm helps clients resolve critical and
complex issues.
In one such matter, a Baker & McKenzie team from the
Chicago, Dallas, New York, London and St. Petersburg
offices advised in a highly successful corporate
restructuring transaction for the Official Committee of
Unsecured Creditors of Metromedia International Group
Inc., a Chapter 11 debtor owning a 46 percent interest in a
leading Republic of Georgia mobile telecommunications
company. Lead partners Carmen Lonstein, Ethan Berghoff
and Shima Roy were complemented by 16 other lawyers,
nearly half of whom were women.
The team traveled to London for depositions, to New York
for investigations, and to Tblisi — where the debtor’s
primary asset is located — for discussions on the economic
and political risks under various restructuring and litigation
scenarios. The trial was scheduled to be held in Delaware.
From July 2009 to June 2010, the team employed a complex
litigation strategy that entailed multiple emergency
hearings, discovery disputes, valuation disputes and
preparations for trial to create leverage on multiple fronts.
The team’s seamless coordination and innovative strategy
resulted in a global settlement agreement and a100 percent
recovery in excess of $225 million under our client’s terms.
“Our team’s diversity was a crucial factor in winning the matter,” Carmen Lonstein
said. “Harmonizing our different perspectives and strong points allowed us to
design a creative and efficient strategy to reach a highly successful result.”
7 Diversity and Inclusion Report
Advocates for
Women
in Leadership Roles
Seven of the nine new partners in the region for 2011 are women — the greatest
number of women ever among a new partner class
Baker & McKenzie takes pride in the many women who
serve as practice group chairs and office managing
partners. Some are Firm and legal industry pioneers,
standing as role models for diversity in leadership; the
majority serve as mentors and coaches for their women
colleagues, engaging in a number of specialty bar
associations and organizations committed to women
in the legal profession.
The North America Women’s Initiative is part of this
firmwide commitment. Led by Chicago partner Regine
Corrado and a steering committee comprised of
New York’s Janna Bellwin, Houston’s Lisa Meyerhoff
and Washington, DC’s Liz Stern, the Women’s Initiative
oversees the implementation of programs and policies
designed to aid in the retention of our women lawyers,
as well as helps women advance to leadership roles
within the Firm.
The Initiative has sponsored a series of business and
career development webinars for women non-equity
partners. Additionally, it has implemented a coaching
program to assist our women non-equity partners
in developing their areas of expertise. The program
promotes inter-office efficiency by pairing principals
and non-equity partners who serve the same practice
areas from different cities.
The North America Women’s Initiative has
developed a coaching program to assist our
women partners continue to develop in their
areas of expertise.
Janna Bellwin brings over 30 years of
experience to Baker & McKenzie's Banking,
Finance and Major Projects practice. Ms.
Bellwin is a member of the Association of the
Bar of the City of New York, having served on
the committees on Corporation Law, Banking
Law and Nuclear Technology and Law.
Janna Bellwin, New York
Banking and Finance Partner
Elizabeth Stern is a 25-year veteran of US
and global immigration, HR and mobility
services. Chambers Global, Chambers USA,
Who's Who Legal and The International
Who's Who of Business Lawyers,
and national and local publications in
Washington, DC consistently rank her as a
leading lawyer in business immigration.
Elizabeth Stern, Washington, DC
Global Immigration and
Mobility Partner
Regine Corrado's cross-border
practice includes the coordination
and implementation of multi-country
corporate transactions and restructurings
outside the US. Ms. Corrado is an active
member of the Chicago Bar Association,
and currently serves as Co Vice-Chair of
the Alliance for Women.
Regine Corrado, Chicago
Mergers and Acquisitions Partner
Lisa Meyerhoff is proficient in all aspects
of intellectual property law and has
served as editor-in-chief of the Computer
Law Review & Technology Journal by the
State Bar of Texas. Ms. Meyerhoff is a
regular speaker at various international
conferences, including the International
Congress of Associação Paulista de
Propriedade Intelectual.
Lisa Meyerhoff, Houston
Intellectual Property Partner
Diversity as Leadership Strategy 8
Our People: Viewpoints and Potential
Ahead of the
Diversity Curve
Our diversity and inclusion efforts have resulted in
a talent pool whose diversity exceeds most legal
industry standards. The diversity of our talent allows
us to better serve the rapidly changing needs of our
clients across jurisdictions.
54.4%
45.4%
22%
22%
19.3%
19.9%
11.3%
2.5%
1.5%
6.5%
Partners
Associates
Gender Diversity
Baker & McKenzie
Industry Average
Partners
Associates
Racial/Ethnic Diversity
Baker & McKenzie
Industry Average
1.2%
Partners
Associates
LGBT Diversity
Baker & McKenzie
Source: National Association for Law Placement
We have been recognized as one of the top law firms for
diversity in MultiCultural Law magazine's Top 100 Law
Firms for Diversity for seven consecutive years.
9 Diversity and Inclusion Report
1.3%
Industry Average
Open
Communications
An LGBT resource group allows lawyers and staff to discuss issues regarding
sexual orientation
We are proud of the diversity among our lawyers and
administrators. Our global organization has created
an environment which is respectful of different
backgrounds and cultures. This inclusive environment
contributes to our culture of friendship and fosters
collaboration among our attorneys, which brings the
best of our Firm to our clients.
We invite our new lawyers to engage in their local
markets while also encouraging them to think and work
as part of the global Firm. We have implemented policies
to allow our lawyers to design a flexible schedule or
work reduced hours or both. Our practices and policies
assist us in attracting and retaining a diverse talent pool.
The diversity of our workforce has fueled the growth
of the Firm into what is today — one of world’s most
multicultural professional services organizations.
To further contribute to our inclusive workplace,
we have launched the Listening Ear Program, a diversity
program intended to provide an additional means of
support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT) community, and its allies, within our North
America offices. Initially developed in our London office,
the program is designed to connect individuals within
the Firm who share a common element of diversity —
in this case, sexual orientation.
Sexual orientation is an element of diversity which is
not visually discernable and as such, identifying other
gay and lesbian individuals within the Firm can be
challenging. The Listening Ear Program facilitates this
by making a team of individuals visible and available
for questions from others. Our team of Listening Ear
participants includes lawyers and administrators across
the United States and Canada.
Our People: Viewpoints and Potential 10
Stronger
Connections
Internal affinity groups in our North America offices are helping foster a deeper
sense of belonging within the Firm, as well as more opportunities for personal
development and candid dialogue
Most groups started out just meeting regularly to
catch up on work and personal issues, but some have
extended their networks to collaborate with similar
groups from other organizations. Chicago’s LGBT group
hosted an event for Out & Equal, an organization
dedicated to achieving workplace equality. LGBT
affinity group members from Abbott, Allstate, Aon,
BP, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, JPMorgan Chase, PepsiCo,
PricewaterhouseCoopers, and United Way of Chicago
were among their guests for the event.
In Washington, DC, the women’s affinity group
hosts quarterly events intended to offer networking
opportunities and venues for continuing education.
The group has invited resource speakers on topics
ranging from managing daycare providers to leveraging
IT resources for working remotely. With help from a
minority partner from another Baker & McKenzie
office, the minority affinity group has also been
coaching members on building a professional profile.
The Washington, DC LGBT group has been actively
raising awareness of LGBT concerns within the office.
In 2010, the affinity group teamed with Lambda Legal to
host a lunchtime session to discuss LGBT laws related
to employment and family.
Affinity Groups in Chicago and
Washington, DC
African American Affinity
Group (Chicago)
Asian-American Affinity Group
(Chicago)
Hispanic-American Affinity
Group (Chicago)
LGBT Affinity Group
(Chicago & Washington, DC)
Minority Affinity Group
(Washington, DC)
Women’s Affinity Group
(Chicago & Washington, DC)
11 Diversity and Inclusion Report
Women
Leaders Wanted
Prospective partners join the Women Rainmakers coaching program
In an effort to shrink the gap between the percentage
of men and women partners, law firms have begun
to offer business development programming and
networking opportunities for women associates. The
numbers underlie the imbalance; while women make
up nearly half of law school students, the number of
women partners among the Am Law 100 firms still
hovers around 20 percent.
We have enrolled several of our lawyers in the
Women Rainmakers Roundtable, a coaching program
which brings together women lawyers to hone their
business development skills and receive support to
grow their practice. The participants are coached on
specific business development skills, including:
- Pinpointing best marketing strategies
- Selecting the most effective and efficient
marketing activities
- Building referral relationships that result in
business
- Effectively asking for business
We have been ranked among
the “Top 50 Law Firms
in California” for several
consecutive years. We
have been cited among the
firms with the most women
partners in the state.
Our women partners have benefited from the Women
Rainmakers Roundtable and the new approaches to
business development offered through the program.
Our People: Viewpoints and Potential 12
Today’s Multicultural Interns, Tomorrow’s Legal Innovators
Recruits from the top law schools contribute to the Firm’s knowledge capital, resulting in a
more diverse attorney population and more creative solutions for our clients. We have teamed
with a number of student organizations and law schools to broaden our recruitment pool. Most
recently, we launched an internship program for first-year law students at Howard University
School of Law.
Mekdes Fanta
Mekdes Fanta is a native of Washington, DC whose Ethiopian heritage and industrial labor relations degree
from Cornell University give her a poignant understanding of the challenges and rewards of promoting
collaboration in the midst of diversity.
“Diversity is quite important to me,” she said.
“That’s why Baker & McKenzie is great."
"This firm respects different cultures and lifestyles.
You can walk down the hall and see a variety of
people, people who are bilingual, people from a great
variety of countries, people who travel everywhere.“
A first-year Howard Law student when she
accepted an internship offer at Baker & McKenzie’s
Washington, DC office in 2011, Mekdes finds the
business case for workplace diversity being played
out before her eyes.
13 Diversity and Inclusion Report
“Diversity and inclusion align with business
priorities. It isn’t just the physical appearance or
the mix of racial or ethnic differences. Different
perspectives lead to different interpretations and
different understandings of meaning. You get to
better solutions faster. You want that to have the best
outcomes for clients,” she said.
Nnamdi Anozie
Nnamdi Anozie has the caring sensitivities of his mother, a school teacher, plus the business acumen of his
father, an MBA and entrepreneur, and the acute cultural awareness that comes from knowing that more than
500 different languages are spoken in his parents’ homeland of Nigeria.
“Ignorance of culture is not your friend,” he said.
A first-year Howard Law student who holds an
undergraduate degree in anthropology, Nnamdi sees
the diverse and inclusive culture at Baker & McKenzie
as an advantage for clients, members of the Firm and
the communities in which they work.
“We’re going to be able to attack issues and problems
from a million and one different angles. For the client,
we’ll find more efficient and more effective solutions.
“But we can also help clients avoid difficulties by
looking at the social impact they might be having, not
just at their tax liabilities.
“It’s not just having people around you who look
different but people with different cultural, personal,
intellectual experience and capacity. That brings
additional ideas and different perspectives and that
brings innovation.”
Our People: Viewpoints and Potential 14
Legal Community Advocacies
Leadership
Coalition for Diversity
We join law firm leaders and corporate counsel in the Leadership Council on
Legal Diversity to find real solutions to diversity gaps in the profession
Resolving the significant diversity challenges
in the legal profession requires increasing levels
of commitment at the highest levels of leadership.
In 2009, the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity
(LCLD) united the legal industry’s senior leaders
in one organization to do just that.
The Firm’s General Counsel, Peter Engstrom,
represents Baker & McKenzie in the LCLD and
serves as a member of the Council’s Talent
Development Committee. One of the Committee’s
key initiatives, the LCLD Fellows Program, gives
young lawyers a chance to learn from law firm
leaders and general counsel. Peter shared with
up-and-coming lawyers the value of building global
relationships at the first Fellows meeting in May 2011.
To engage and nurture legal talent within its own
ranks, the Firm has nominated Chicago partner Ed
Harrison as a 2011 Fellow who will train, collaborate
and build relationships with LCLD mentors.
Steve Reynolds, General Counsel of Alcatel-Lucent,
and Peter Engstrom, our General Counsel, at a panel
discussion on globalization, held as part of the LCLD
Fellows Program in New York
15 Diversity and Inclusion Report
Lambda Legal
Campaign Wins
Equal Visitation Rights
A simple but determined request for an apology — and a vow of support from President Obama —
overturn discriminatory hospital policies against visiting LGBT family members
Baker & McKenzie is a District Level Sponsor of
Lambda Legal, a US organization committed to
achieving full recognition of the civil rights of the LGBT
community. In recent years, we have had the privilege
of assisting in the case of “accidental activist” Janice
Langbehn. Ms. Langbehn found herself in the midst of
what would become a national debate on hospital
visitation rights for LGBT individuals after her partner
of 18 years, Lisa Pond, collapsed as they prepared to
depart on a cruise.
The hospital to which Ms. Pond was taken did not
allow Ms. Langbehn and their children to visit with
Ms. Pond in the hospital. She subsequently died
from a brain aneurysm.
Ms. Langbehn unsuccessfully sought an apology from
the hospital and eventually turned to Lambda Legal for
assistance. Lambda Legal filed suit against the
hospital on behalf of Ms. Langbehn, and Don Hayden,
a partner in our Miami office, provided co-counsel.
Although Ms. Langbehn's case was dismissed because
the laws in Florida did not offer adequate protection,
Lambda Legal continued to work with her to educate
others and to fight for justice. In April 2010, President
Obama called Ms. Langbehn from Air Force One to
apologize for her suffering and to tell her that he
issued a memorandum ordering his administration
to issue new rules on hospital visitation after he had
heard her story. In January 2011, the new rules took
effect in hospitals across the country.
In recognition of her work to secure healthcare fairness for LGBT families, Ms. Langbehn was presented with the Lambda Legal Liberty
Award in May 2011. During her speech, Ms. Langbehn recognized the Lambda Legal “dream team” including Don Hayden and several
other Baker & McKenzie attorneys and staff who worked on this pro bono matter. From the onset, the Baker & McKenzie team saw this
case as potentially having far greater impact than requesting the court to help in compensating one same–sex family for their
devastating loss of an opportunity to be with their loved one in her final hours. As Don argued to the court, “this is about protecting
the legal access that a parent has to see a child, or an essential loved one’s right to be aware of what is going on with their loved one.”
Legal Community Advocacies 16
Helping Corporate Counsel
Women of Color
Remove Obstacles to Inclusion
Our lawyers help build a community of support for women of color
Baker & McKenzie has helped spark dialogues in
law firms and companies about the importance of
improving diversity in the profession in the United
States and abroad.
Events like the Corporate Counsel Women of Color
(CCWC) career strategies conference give us an
opportunity to network with women of color attorneys
with similar interests and backgrounds. Donna
Walwyn, a partner in our Toronto office and member
of our Diversity and Inclusion Oversight Committee,
notes, “The career strategies conference … is a
chance for us to encourage substantive programming
geared toward career development and leadership.”
17 Diversity and Inclusion Report
Pia Flanagan, a partner in our New York office, is part
of the CCWC Research Advisory Board that undertook
a groundbreaking study on "The Perspectives of
Women of Color Attorneys in Corporate Legal
Departments." For Pia, attending CCWC functions
has helped her “gain a better understanding of law
departments’ expectations of their outside counsel
including, for example, staffing of client matters
with diverse attorneys.”
Working Mother magazine
and Flex-Time Lawyers
have frequently cited
Baker & McKenzie as one
of the “Best Law Firms for
Women.” Most recently, the
Firm received high marks in
the categories of flexibility,
workforce profile, benefits
and compensation, parental
leave and related benefits
and policies, and retention
and advancement of women.
A Long-Standing Commitment to
LINK Unlimited
For over 30 years, Firm professionals have helped many underprivileged African American students achieve academic excellence
More than a dozen Chicago-based Firm lawyers
and staff are sponsors of LINK unlimited, which,
at 45 years old, is Chicago’s oldest scholarship
and mentoring organization for economically
disadvantaged African American high school youth.
LINK has five key goals for its scholars: provide
access to high quality education, offer preparation
for college, present opportunities for leadership
development, ensure personal development and
encourage interracial harmony.
Phil Suse, North America Regional Managing Partner
and EC Chair of the Global Pro Bono & Community
Service Committee, currently serves as LINK board
chairman. He and other Firm sponsors provide
tuition support for their student scholars, track
their progress and provide guidance throughout the
students’ high school experience.
In 2008, LINK honored the Firm for its longstanding commitment and ongoing contributions to
the organization. “We are honored to have served
LINK for more than three decades,” Phil says.
“It is gratifying to see that we have made a positive
impact on numerous students’ lives, as well as
contributed to their academic successes.”
Earning success and inspiring others
Over the last 11 years, every graduating LINK scholar
has been accepted into one of the nation’s top
colleges and universities. Ten percent of program
alumni move on to become sponsors themselves.
In 2011, nearly a third of the graduates earned
full-tuition scholarships at a school of their choice,
including Cornell University, Notre Dame and the US
Military Academy at West Point. Fifty-nine graduating
scholars and their sponsors were honored during
LINK’s annual Graduation and Awards Banquet held
in downtown Chicago.
Following the event, Phil said, “The biggest benefit of
LINK is that it opens up a whole new world for kids
who have only seen the world from one very narrow
perspective. The program shows them what they can
achieve and opens doors to what is possible.”
from l to r:
Teara Kemp, LINK scholar, and Sarah Harris,
an Associate in our Chicago office
Chicago partner and LINK emeritus board member Bob Berner introduced Baker & McKenzie to LINK
more than 30 years ago. “This is as good, if not better, for the sponsors as it is for the kids,” Bob relates.
“When one of my students was recognized among the most outstanding of LINK’s scholars, he told me
that ‘we did this.’”
Legal Community Advocacies 18
Fostering Diversity with a National Network of
African American
Lawyers
Our investment in the National Bar Association underscores the value we place on diversity
Our engagement with the National Bar Association
(NBA) gives us many opportunities to share our
global perspective and experience with the local
legal community while also helping strengthen our
fellowship with clients. The NBA, founded in 1925,
is the oldest and largest association of African
American lawyers and judges in the United States.
At the 2010 National Bar Association Convention,
San Francisco partner Joyce Smith led a roundtable
session on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)
19 Diversity and Inclusion Report
during the NBA Corporate Leadership Forum.
Meanwhile, Kandace Watson, a partner from our
San Diego office, was a co-presenter with the chief
financial officer of Huron Consulting on analyzing SEC
reports and financial statements.
Other Firm representatives who have had the chance
to contribute to National Bar Association events in
2010 include Sarah Harris, Ed Harrison and Andray
Napolez in Chicago; Simone Williams in Washington,
DC; and Donna Walwyn in Toronto.
Our lawyers and administrators have been engaged with the following specialty
bar associations, diversity groups and legal organizations:
→ A Call to Action Canada
→ GAYLaw
→ American Bar Association’s National Conference
for the Minority Lawyer
→ Hispanic National Bar Association
→ American Civil Liberties Union - LGBT Summer
Associate Reception in New York
→ Human Rights Campaign
→ Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession
→ Anti-Defamation League
→ Korean American Bar Association of Chicago
→ Ark Group – Implementing Best Practices in FirmWide Women’s Initiatives
→ Lambda Legal
→ Asian American Bar Association of the Greater
Chicago Area
→ National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
→ Asian American Legal Defense Fund
→ Black Women Lawyers Association
→ Catalyst
→ Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law
Firms
→ Minority Corporate Counsel Association
→ National Association of Women Lawyers
→ National Bar Association
→ National LGBT Bar Association
→ National Urban League
→ Out and Equal
→ Chicago Foundation for Women
→ Texas Diversity and Leadership Conference
→ Equality Illinois
→ Williams Institute
We have been ranked for four consecutive years
among Conceive magazine's annual "50 Best
Companies" list, a showcase of employers who
are leading the way with their generous fertility
and adoption benefits.
Legal Community Advocacies 20
Top Marks for
LGBT Workplace
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America’s largest LGBT civil
rights organization, celebrates our gender-inclusive policies
Reinforcing the firmwide commitment to diversity
and inclusion, our North America offices go the
extra mile to ensure that LGBT individuals are
protected from discrimination and covered by
benefits. We worked closely with the HRC Workplace
Project Team to develop LGBT-friendly policies and
protocols. Sexual orientation and gender identity
polices are included in our employee handbook.
Transgender-inclusive health insurance benefits
are extended to employees and their dependents.
Offices sponsor LGBT events, as well as support
LGBT employee resource groups.
Equality
These successes have contributed to our standing
in the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index, which rates
American workplaces on LGBT equality. Our rating
has been improving yearly, from 75 in 2009 to 95 in
2010. This year, we were awarded 100 points and a
spot on the HRC’s list of “Best Places to Work for
LGBT Equality.” This achievement allows us to
benchmark our accomplishments against third–
party standards, and inspires us to continue
advocating for an LGBT-equal workplace.
Floyd Mills, North America Director of Diversity, at the
Workplace Equality Awards Reception in New York where
he accepted the award on the Firm’s behalf
“We are delighted that the Human Rights Campaign has given Baker & McKenzie a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights
Campaign Corporate Equality Index and named us among the Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality. Baker & McKenzie’s origins
are rooted in the respect for diversity and inclusion. We understand that organizations work best when people with different
backgrounds and multiple points of view are brought together. Our diversity better enables us to provide the level of service our
clients expect across the world.”
Eduardo Leite
Chairman of the Firm’s Executive Committee
21 Diversity and Inclusion Report
A Recognized
Firm
for Diversity
The awards we receive from respected industry journals and league tables reflect not only our many leading practices
and individuals but also the multicultural composition of our talent. These awards underscore both our commitment to
multiculturalism and our success in leveraging the diversity of people to better serve our clients. Here are some of our
most recent accolades:
2011 Top Attorneys
International Who's
Who of Corporate
Immigration
Lawyers for 2011
Top 75 Women
Corporate and
Transactional
Lawyers for 2011
Silicon Valley 2010
Woman of Influence
2010 San Diego
Young Attorneys
San Diego Daily Transcript
Who’s Who Legal
Los Angeles and San
Francisco Daily Journal
Silicon Valley Business
Journal
San Diego Daily Transcript
2010 Top Woman
Litigator
2010 Nation’s
Best Advocates: 40
Lawyers Under 40
2011 Woman of
Achievement
Top Labor
& Employment
Lawyers for 2011
Leading Individual
for Intellectual
Property for 2010
Los Angeles and San
Francisco Daily Journal
National Bar Association
Anti-Defamation League Chicago/Midwest Chapter
Los Angeles and San
Francisco Daily Journal
Chambers USA
Awards 22
Regional
Round-Up
Baker & McKenzie lawyers and staff throughout North America are
pitching in to help their communities become more tolerant and open
A landmark ruling for equal protection
Lawyers in our Miami office, in cooperation with
lawyers from The Estée Lauder Companies, helped
overturn the decades-old ban on gay adoption in
Florida. Representing 12 child advocacy groups and
several experts, we filed a friend-of-the-court brief
supporting the adoption of two children by a gay
parent. Our lawyers argued that the ban violated the
children's equal protection rights and their right to
permanence. A Florida appellate court later
overturned the ban on gay adoption, holding that the
nearly 40-year-old ban was an unconstitutional
violation of the right to equal protection and affirmed
the trial court ruling granting the adoption. The state
filed no further appeal after the flurry of praise and
national attention brought by this decision. Florida law
has been permanently corrected to respect the rights
of children and families with gay members.
23 Diversity and Inclusion Report
Lawyers in our New York office represented a woman in Puerto Rico whose admission into a beautician
school was revoked after she disclosed she was HIV-positive. The school filed suit with the US District Court
seeking a declaratory judgment affirming their revocation of the woman’s admission under the Americans
With Disabilities Act.
Our lawyers challenged and, in partnership with the US
Department of Justice, obtained a resolution that included our
client's admission into the school, modification of the school's
policy on admission and treatment of HIV-positive applicants
and students, and payment of damages to our client.
Asylum for battered and indigent immigrants
Our San Diego office has collaborated with Casa
Cornelia over the past seven years to help support
their mission of providing quality legal services for
victims of human and civil rights violations in San
Diego's indigent immigrant community. Our lawyers
provide pro bono legal services for Casa Cornelia’s
Asylum and Detained Unaccompanied Children
programs, and our managing partner in San Diego
serves on their Board of Directors. Baker & McKenzie
is also a past recipient of Casa Cornelia’s La Mancha
Award for "outstanding contribution through
distinguished pro bono legal services."
Lawyers in our Houston office represented a woman
seeking political asylum through the Tahirih Justice
Center, a nonprofit organization that works to protect
immigrant women and girls from gender-based
violence through legal services, advocacy and public
education programs. The Tahirih Justice Center
provided our lawyers with training seminars and
manuals on the relevant law, as well model briefs
and forms for use in their case work. Our client was
granted asylum and was eventually able to bring her
children to the United States.
Helping Holocaust survivors
Lawyers in our Toronto office collaborated with the
United Jewish Association Federation of Greater
Toronto’s Jewish Information Service of Toronto (JIST)
to help them file claims under the German Ghetto
Work Payment Program (GWPP). The program
represents an effort by the German government to
bridge a long-standing gap in the structure of its
Holocaust reparations. Our work on this program was
recognized with the 2010 Lexpert Platinum Award in
Regional Round-Up 24
International Human Rights, the organization’s highest
level of distinction. The award honors leading Canadian
law firms, in-house counsel and law students who have
committed their time, skills and mentorship to a diverse
and valuable range of pro bono activities.
Creating a more inclusive workplace
The “Diversity Dialogues” training series in our
Chicago office was developed to engage lawyers
and staff in discussions on communicating across
differences. The first round of dialogues resulted in
increased efforts to engage lawyers and staff in various
office activities. Developed in conjunction with Dr. Arin
Reeves, the program incorporated a series of
presentations by Dr. Reeves followed by small group
dialogues facilitated by our own lawyers and staff. The
dialogues demonstrate that everyone can contribute
to the creation of a more inclusive environment —
regardless of the role he/she plays in the office. Still
ongoing, the dialogues are fostering more openness
and acceptance among colleagues.
Our Washington, DC office participates in the DC Road
Show, an outreach effort by major Washington, DC
law firms designed to expose African American law
students to the advantages of firm practice and attract
them to the Washington, DC market. To further aid
recruitment of minority talent, we also collaborated
with Howard University School of Law to create an
25 Diversity and Inclusion Report
internship program for first-year law students. The
four-week internship, designed by the office’s local
diversity and inclusion committee, pairs students with
our lawyers to expose them to our practice groups and
help them gain insight into different areas of law.
Supporting the local community
The women's network in our Dallas office hosted a
"Souper Chili Bowl," a fundraising cook-off where our
Dallas colleagues prepared and enjoyed great chili.
Lawyers and staff sold chili samples and "passes" to
wear jeans in the office to raise funds for The Stewpot,
a center that provides health and social services to
homeless and at-risk people in Dallas. On a quarterly
basis, a team of office volunteers assists The Stewpot
in serving lunch to more than 700 guests.
Our San Francisco/Palo Alto office, in collaboration with
the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, hosted
a Women General Counsel Roundtable. Attendees
included a select group of 16 women general counsel
from both private and public companies. The roundtable
provided a rare opportunity for women general counsel
to connect with their peers and discuss common
challenges in the profession, especially in relation to
gaining credibility in male-dominated boardrooms.
Cynthia Jackson and Susan Eandi, partners in our San
Francisco/Palo Alto office, spearheaded the event.
What participants said about the Women’s
General Counsel Roundtable:
“Thanks so much for hosting
the wonderful event yesterday.
I particularly appreciated that
you limited the audience to
GCs — it is very helpful to have
everyone in the room coming
from the same perspective.”
“Great forum! Thanks so much for
organizing. Please keep it up!”
Management
Global Diversity and
Inclusion Committee
Anne-Marie Allgrove represents the
Asia Pacific region on the Firm’s Global
Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Anne-Marie is a partner in the Sydney
office where she has developed a broad
commercial practice with particular
focus on issues in the technology,
communications and media industries.
Fiona Carlin represents the Europe,
Middle East and Africa region on the
Firm’s Global Diversity and Inclusion
Committee. She is the head of the
Firm’s European & Competition Law
Practice in Brussels. Fiona is the chair
of the Competition Law Committee of
the American Chamber of Commerce
to the European Union.
Anne-Marie Allgrove, Sydney
Fiona Carlin, Brussels
Maria Lombera represents the Latin
America region on the Firm’s Global
Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Maria is a partner in the Mexico City
office where she advises clients in the
areas of compensation and benefits,
labor tax planning and tax litigation
matters.
Peter Engstrom represents the North
America region on the Firm’s Global
Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Peter is a litigation partner and former
managing partner of the San Francisco/
Palo Alto office. Previously the North
America Managing Partner, Peter
currently serves as the Firm’s General
Counsel.
Raymundo Enriquez is the chair of the
Global Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
He is a member of the Firm’s Executive
Committee and Chairman of the Latin
America Regional Council. Recognized
among Latin America’s leading lawyers
for business by Chambers & Partners,
Raymundo focuses his practice on tax
and competition law.
Maria Lombera, Mexico City
Peter Engstrom, San Francisco
Raymundo Enriquez, Mexico City
Management 26
North America Diversity and
Inclusion Oversight Committee
Pia Flanagan is the chair of the New York
office Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Pia is a member of the New York office
Hiring Committee and serves as the
firm's liaison to the Corporate Counsel
Women of Color.
Jorge Gonzalez is the chair of the
Dallas office Diversity and Inclusion
Committee and a member of the
Dallas office Professional Development
Committee. Jorge focuses his practice
on cross-border M&A and joint
venture transactions, global corporate
reorganizations, and cross-border
commercial agreements.
Ted Murphy is the chair of the
Washington, DC office Diversity and
Inclusion Committee. Ted serves
on the Industry Trade Advisory
Committee on Customs Matters and
Trade Facilitation and also chairs the
International Trade Compliance Practice
in the Washington, DC office.
Pia Flanagan, New York
Compensation and Employment Partner
Jorge Gonzalez, Dallas
International/Commercial Partner
Ted Murphy, Washington, DC
International Trade Partner
Floyd Mills leads our dedicated North
America Diversity and Inclusion
Oversight Committee. Floyd works
closely with the Talent Management
team on its strategies surrounding
the retention and advancement of
all lawyers, with a focus mostly on
advancement and retention programs
aimed at populations where we have
the greatest need. Floyd is a member
of the Association of Law Firm Diversity
Professionals.
Robert Moore serves as the Miami
office representative of the Firm’s
North America Diversity and Inclusion
Oversight Committee. He is a recipient
of the Firm’s “Outstanding Pro Bono
Volunteer Award” in 2009 and 2010 and
continues to be actively involved with
several pro bono initiatives as part of his
practice.
Floyd Mills, Washington, DC
North America Director of Diversity
Robert Moore, Miami
Tax Partner
Lisa Gates is the chair of the Chicago
office Diversity and Inclusion Committee
and serves as member of the Recruiting
and Professional Development
Committee.
Lisa Gates, Chicago
Intellectual Property Partner
27 Diversity and Inclusion Report
Joyce Smith serves as the
San Francisco /Palo Alto office
representative of the Firm’s North
America Diversity and Inclusion
Oversight Committee. Joyce began
her career at Baker & McKenzie as an
International Clerk working in the Firm’s
Amsterdam office in 1992 and then joined
the San Francisco office in 1993.
Donna Walwyn serves as the Toronto
office representative of the Firm’s
North America Diversity and Inclusion
Oversight Committee. Donna heads the
Pension and Employee Benefits Practice
Group in Toronto and is actively involved
with the Canadian Association of Black
Lawyers.
Joyce Smith, San Francisco
International Trade Partner
Donna Walwyn, Toronto
Compensation and Employment Partner
Colin Murray serves as the San Diego
office representative of the Firm’s
North America Diversity and Inclusion
Oversight Committee. Colin is the
managing partner of the Firm’s San
Diego office and is the chair of its
Litigation and Dispute Resolution
Practice Group.
Liquita Thompson serves as the Houston
office representative of the Firm’s
North America Diversity and Inclusion
Oversight Committee. Liquita is a
member of the Houston office hiring
committee and is actively involved with
the Corporate Social Responsibility
efforts related to the Houston office.
Colin Murray, San Diego
Litigation Partner
Liquita Thompson, Houston
Labor and Employment Partner
Achieving diversity is never
static. To ensure we live up to our
standards, committees have been
established to lead our diversity
programs, and foster a truly
inclusive culture.
Management 28
Global
Citizens
Baker & McKenzie is one of the world’s most multicultural professional
service organizations. We represent nearly every color, religion, and sexual
orientation. Our 69 offices around the world assist clients who are based in
more than 50 countries.
We hope that the stories in this report — a sampling of the Firm’s many
diversity and inclusion efforts — inspire you to learn more about our
organization and the many perspectives we bring when serving our clients
and communities.
CANADA
UNITED STATES
MEXICO
COLOMBIA
VENEZUELA
BRAZIL
CHILE
ARGENTINA
29 Diversity and Inclusion Report
CZECH REPUBLIC
NETHERLANDS
BELGIUM
UNITED KINGDOM
LUXEMBOURG
GERMANY
FRANCE
SWITZERLAND
SWEDEN
RUSSIA
POLAND
UKRAINE
AZERBAIJAN
HUNGARY
CHINA/HONG KONG
KAZAKHASTAN
JAPAN
UAE
TAIWAN
AUSTRIA
PHILIPPINES
SPAIN
INDONESIA
ITALY
VIETNAM
EGYPT
THAILAND
SAUDI ARABIA
MALAYSIA
BAHRAIN
SINGAPORE
QATAR
AUSTRALIA
Baker & McKenzie has been global since
inception. Being global is part of our DNA.
Our difference is the way we think, work and behave – we combine an instinctively
global perspective with a genuinely multicultural approach, enabled by collaborative
relationships and yielding practical, innovative advice. Serving our clients with
more than 3,750 lawyers in 41 countries, we have a deep understanding of the
culture of business the world over and are able to bring the talent and experience
needed to navigate complexity across practices and borders with ease.
Website: http://www.bakermckenzie.com/nadiversity
E-mail: diversityandinclusion@bakermckenzie.com
July 2011
© 2011 Baker & McKenzie. All rights reserved. Baker & McKenzie International is a Swiss Verein with member law firms around
the world. In accordance with the common terminology used in professional service organizations, reference to a “partner” means
a person who is a partner, or equivalent, in such a law firm. Similarly, reference to an “office” means an office of any such law firm.
This may qualify as “Attorney Advertising” requiring notice in some jurisdictions. Prior results do not guarantee a similar
outcome. Baker & McKenzie Global Services LLC / One Prudential Plaza, Suite 2500 / 130 E. Randolph Street / Chicago,
IL 60601, USA / +1 312 861 8800